Abstract

The emergence of digital technologies has significantly transformed the landscape of higher education, reshaping academic roles, expectations, and professional identities. This paper offers a conceptual insight into the experiences of early-career academics (ECAs) navigating the digital era. Drawing upon perspectives from HRD, higher education studies, and identity-related frameworks, the paper examines three critical dimensions: challenges, identity formation, and survival strategies. Key challenges include increased workload due to digitalisation, blurred work–life boundaries, and performance pressures driven by KPI metrics and visibility. From the author’s observations and experiences as an early-career academic, navigating academic life in the digital era requires continuous adaptation and negotiation between traditional scholarly expectations and emerging digital demands. In response, several adaptive strategies are discussed, including digital competence development, boundary management, and strategic networking. This insight paper contributes to the growing discourse on academic sustainability by offering a reflective and forward-looking perspective on the realities experienced by young academics in increasingly digitalised academic environments.